Decisions
by kikkiclow88
Summary: After the night at Altessa's, Genis is left lost, betrayed, and struggling to cope with his emotions. Where exactly does his loyalty lie; with Lloyd or with Mithos? Friendship fic, now a two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

Hopefully, this is better than my last fic...please enjoy!

NOTE: There are spoilers if you haven't gotten past the Flanoir scenes on disc 2!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia.**

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Decisions

If there was one thing Genis hated to do, it was to choose between two things that felt important to him.

It wasn't like when he had to choose between getting like a scoop of vanilla ice cream rather than a mint one, or something like that. After all, that was when he was still a kid. He was an adult now, or at least he thought himself to be one (despite his height); those immature thoughts were so _babyish_, they had no relevance on the real world.

His decision now could impact the fate of both worlds.

Lloyd and Mithos…he couldn't just choose between them. They were both his best friends, he liked them both so much, and he couldn't bear to leave either of them. That was probably why all of this was so hard and stressful.

Lloyd, his childhood friend, was a total idiot, but he had a good heart and always treated Genis as an equal, despite his age and height. Genis even looked up to him, though he would never admit it to his face. They were both so different in every sense of the word, like a weed near death and a beautiful, blossoming rose, but…that's what made them such great friends.

But Mithos…he had just met him, and they had already become such close friends in so little time. They had been so alike on the surface; they were around the same age, they shared the same blood, they had been raised by their older sister, and they had a strong hatred towards humans. Genis had been ecstatic to have a friend near his age, but it had all been shattered only a few hours ago.

Genis sighed. The group had rushed to Flanoir to find a doctor for the dwarf Altessa, and several of them had left with the doctor to be his "guards". He had stayed behind, not wanting to go back to the place where he had…found out the truth. Lloyd, Colette and Zelos also stayed behind, but they were all at the inn. His sister had advised him against going outside before she had left, but here he was, leaning against the railing near the accessory shop as violent cold winds thrashed against his face. He was enveloped in a thick brown cloak, looking at the specks of snowflakes floated serenely from the black abyss above, letting his thoughts wander to the issue he didn't want to address.

Mithos…what did he mean "He had never trusted him"? Weren't they…friends? _Could_ he still call him his friend, or even go so far as to call the other half-elf his enemy? He could never say something like that about Mithos, but he couldn't call him an ally, either. Even though they were alike, the differences in their ideals was far too great. He had said he had disliked humans, but he couldn't ever say he hated _all_ of them. That wouldn't be fair to Lloyd, or Colette or any of the humans he had traveled with (even Zelos, as much as he hated and envied his carefree attitude). They had all treated him no differently then they would have treated a human friend, and he was so grateful to them for that. It was because of them he had learned that humans were not all prejudiced.

But that wasn't all that made the half-elven boys different. The way the Desians had stolen the lives of all those victims in order to create exspheres… it just didn't feel right. People like Marble and Lloyd's mother didn't deserve to lose their lives, and yet their souls were tossed away. All those people's lives had been thrown away, and Genis knew he could never condone such careless treatment of another person's life, no matter what race they were. It was immoral in his heart, and just plain _wrong._

There was just one thing, a tiny fragment of a thought that made Genis actually consider allying himself with Cruxis; the hope of a world without discrimination or persecution that all half-elves dreamed of. If Mithos really could make the worlds that way, then Genis certainly would want to join Cruxis' ranks, but that would mean betraying his friends. Would that make him a…a traitor? He really didn't want to be known as something like that…it just wasn't like him to be disloyal.

That brought him to his main issue: whose side should he stay on? Who would he trust more in the end – the town idiot with a pure heart or the fallen hero who had pure intentions? Could he even trust _himself_ to make the right choice? This was all so frustrating, he just wanted to-

"Genis? Are you okay?"

Whirling around in the snow, he found Lloyd, all bundled up against the harsh Flanoir cold, staring at him with a concerned look in his eyes. He hadn't even noticed him come behind him.

"Huh? …yeah, I'm fine…" Genis mumbled.

Lloyd walked over so that he stood in front of Genis. "Are you really? Ever since…last night, you've become really quiet…Colette, Zelos and I…we were all really worried. Well, maybe not Zelos, but still."

Genis sighed, careful to avoid Lloyd's gaze. "Yes, really, there's nothing wrong."

"Is it about Mithos?"

At the mention of the name, Genis' head sharply dropped, preferring to scrutinize the thick layer of snow that had already accumulated on the ground. He felt Lloyd's hand gripping his shoulder lightly, trying to reassure him. Still, Genis refused to look up.

"Genis…"

"Please don't say anything. I really don't want to talk about it. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"…Lloyd. Are we…" Genis forced himself to look up at Lloyd, making his blue eyes stare directly at Lloyd's brown ones, in the most serious tone he could muster. "Are we really friends?"

He saw Lloyd's eyes cloud over with confusion. "What do you mean? Of course we're friends! It's been that way for years now, right? And it'll always be that way, forever."

"I…I guess…" Genis let his face look down on the ground once more, and he felt Lloyd's hand fall.

"What's up with the weird question, anyway? Why's that bothering you now?"

"Don't worry about it. I just…needed some closure, I guess." Genis felt a small smile play on his lips, something that hadn't appeared recently.

"Closure? You mean you needed to close something?"

Genis recognized the sound of his laughter ringing out in the silent, empty night.

"Huh? That wasn't it?"

"Lloyd? Don't ever change."

"Yeah, sure, but what did you-"

Lloyd stopped, after Genis had moved forward, hugging Lloyd tightly. Lloyd confusedly returned the embrace.

"Um, what's-"

"Thank you, Lloyd. I feel a lot more…free, after talking with you. So thanks."

"Thanks? But what did I-"Lloyd was cut off again as Genis abruptly ran off towards the inn with a visible smile on his face. He knew where he belonged, where he should stay. It was right in front of him all along. He had just let his broken, one-sided bond with Mithos fog up his mind, and though he knew he could never hate Mithos, after all the terrible things Cruxis had done, he could never feel in place there. He belonged here, where he could make fun of Lloyd and Zelos and withstand Raine's maniacal rants about ruins and stutter his way around Presea. With every step he took forward, he was sure of it. And at this point, no matter what regrets he had about staying here, it was all worth it.

Lloyd, who was really confused, just watched him disappear from his sight.

"What the hell was that about?"

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Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Yeah, I came up with an idea to continue with. It's probably likely I won't add another chapter, though.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia. ToS belongs to Namco.

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Decisions-Chapter 2

"Aah! Wh-what the…where…?"

"We're in my world…_our_ world…"

Genis could vaguely remember what had happened. The visage of lush emerald trees and surrounding shrubs felt like a distant memory; that terrible duel Lloyd between Kratos, and the difficult battle against the Ruler of Summon Spirits all flashed through his mind so quickly it made him feel dizzy and sick. It was like it happened centuries ago.

All he could perceive now was darkness. The gloomy, lifeless world he had been taken to, the distant faces of the "holy beings" that dwelled there, the disturbing, twisted memories that he was forced into his mind, it was all too much for his mind to handle.

He wanted to run away, back into the warm arms of his kind sister, to the friendly, familiar faces of the people he had traveled with, but now, that was impossible. In a blink of light, he had disappeared from Torent Forest to the unknown depths of Derris-Kharlan, and he knew deep inside himself there was no way to go back.

It had been his mistake to begin with. He had so foolishly hoped that he could hold onto that Cruxis Crystal, to show it the regenerated world and be content with that as a keepsake for his second best friend. He had no idea that said friend Mithos was still alive inside of it, but still…he could have destroyed it, or thrown it away, or done_ something_, before it came down to this.

When everyone had least expected it, Mithos had come back with a vengeance, trying to take over Lloyd's body from that crystal. Somehow, Genis had gathered the courage to separate Lloyd and the crystal, thus forcing him to be possessed in his place.

It was a strange feeling, having your arms and legs move without your own mind telling them to, to hear words come out of your mouth but not hear your own voice come out of it. What felt the most odd were the memories. Mithos's memories, all four thousand years of them, and his own short twelve years collided together and mixed to the point that Genis wasn't sure which ones were his anymore.

His situation now felt grave and hopeless. Mithos had said he would leave the "filthy world" that Genis belonged to and live on Derris-Kharlan. Did he even have a chance to be rescued now…? He felt a sinking feeling come over him, leaving him even more depressed and lost. Still, he attempted to stay calm as he thought about the one thing that could give him comfort.

"Lloyd…please…save me…"

A cold, but familiar voice resonated inside his body, as if it had been spoken, but could only be heard from within him. "Oh, _please_. Don't even think about that wretched human in my presence!"

"M-Mithos? You can hear me?"

"Of course I can. After all, our souls are together now." It was the gentle voice of Mithos he had thought he knew so well, the one that made him doubt his loyalty, but it was twisted, reminiscent to his eerie Yggdrassil form. Yet it still had a touch of kindness, the quiet innocent voice

"Th-then please, let me go! Please, I just…I-"

There was a low, sinister laugh. "And why would I want to do that? I need you, Genis, to be my body, seeing as you separated me from mine. Besides, I want you to be here…with me…forever…"

There was something about the soft, seductive tone of voice Mithos had used to say the last part that made Genis feel ill. Nonetheless, he continued. "Mithos…trying to realize your dream wasn't wrong, but…the way you went about doing it, killing all those innocent people, that's not right at all."

Mithos snorted. "There is nothing wrong with taking revenge on the inferior beings that have-"

"N-no! There is something wrong with that! Not all humans hate people like us…Are you saying it's okay to punish them as well?!"

"…You're so foolish."

"Huh?"

"You poor, naïve child. Do you really think that makes a difference? When it comes down to it, do you think those humans you call your 'friends' would continue to help you? They are the dominant ones on both of those cursed worlds; do you really think they would help you try to change that? They are merely using you as their pawn, Genis, so that they can get help with their own ideals and cast you and your sister aside later."

Genis struggled to stammer out a rebuttal. Would…they really just…?

'_No!'_ Genis thought, _'I can't listen to him! That's the same kind of thinking that caused me to doubt Lloyd and the others in the first place…!'_

"Listen to me, Genis. I have lived longer than you and I know you more than you do. I…I care about you too much to see you get betrayed because of your innocence, so I'm going to do this…because I want you to be happy…with me…together…"

If Genis had been capable of it, he would have shuddered at those last words. However, there was no time to be disgusted at it as he realized with horror what Mithos had done. Before Derris-Kharlan, he saw the Tower of Salvation crumbling apart. In small pieces the tower fell to distant Tethe'Alla where he was sure it was creating chaos and destruction, and with a sick feeling remembered that was where he had last seen his friends.

"That was the only way your precious friends could have come up to my world. Now that that's out of the way, maybe you'll listen to me."

Genis felt what was left of his hope shatter like the Tower of Salvation had done before his very eyes. That was…the only way? Then…

"N-no…it can't b-be…" Genis stammered.

"Genis."

"B-but…Lloyd…h-he…"

"Genis, listen. Anything he has ever told you is a lie."

"W-what?"

"All of it is completely untrue. Everything he's ever told you, everything he's ever promised you, he doesn't believe any of that himself. He's not your friend."

"But we're…" _'…friends forever…'_ Genis thought miserably.

Mithos continued on, without a care towards Genis' confused emotions. "He's simply corrupted you and your sister with these silly little dreams of their world, and spreading it like poison. Why on would he ever be interested in helping you, anyway? It's not like he will benefit from an equal world, now will he?"

Genis felt like his brain was melting. What was Mithos…talking about? A lie?

"_Of course we're friends! It's been that way for years now, right? And it'll always be that way, forever."_ He remembered those words from that chilly night in Flanoir, which he had clung on to all this time. Was Lloyd lying to him when he said that?

"But I, I really care about you Genis. I want you to be here with me. I can give you real power, the potential and strength of the angels. All I'm asking for is that you stay with me, that you trust me."

Mithos took his body deeper into the mass of mana, to a floating floor whose hue was a lighter shade of lavender and had inscriptions of magic circles Genis recognized from the books he studied from. He wasn't sure what to tell the angel. He could be right, but there was a lingering feeling inside of him that still trusted, followed, and believed in Lloyd. He couldn't decide.

"_Do _you trust me, Genis?"

"I…I guess I-"

"MITHOS! Get away from him!" A familiar voice rang out and echoed across the nearly empty floor, and it took Genis a few seconds to register whose voice it was.

'_Lloyd…Lloyd!'_

Mithos sounded very surprised and enraged. "_You!_ How did you get here?!"

"That's none of your business, just let go of him!" Lloyd had a disheveled, tired appearance; his face was covered with grime and sweat, his hair even more untidy than usual, his clothes enveloped with dirt. Still, his eyes burned with the same everlasting determination Genis had always seen in them.

"Human, don't try and tell me what to do!" Mithos created a large ball of mana with the palm of Genis' hand and aimed it at the exhausted Lloyd, who looked like he couldn't avoid another attack if he tried.

"No, Mithos, stop!" Somewhere inside him, he found the strength to speak through his own mouth. As his voice vibrated through the floor, Mithos let the ball of mana dissipate.

"Wh…what?!?" Mithos cried, clearly shocked.

"Please…not him…don't hurt him…"

"Genis!" Lloyd sounded pleasantly surprised.

"Genis…do you mean to imply…" Mithos hissed through his teeth, "…that you still care about him? That you _trust_ him?!"

"W-well-"

"Didn't you listen to me? He can't be trusted! How can you trust _him_ more than _me_??"

"Mithos." Genis kept his voice as calm and steady as possible, his mind completely made up. "You have done…so many bad things to Sylvarant and Tethe'Alla…to Colette…to_ me_. I'm not saying that I'm mad at you…I'm saying that if you could just try to repent-"

Genis gasped as he felt a sharp wave of pain overcome him as the Cruxis Crystal trapped on his neck glowed. "You really think I'm going to do that?" Mithos said bitterly, "Heh, you're as bad as the rest of your pathetic friends. I thought we had an understanding of each other, Genis, but obviously…I was wrong."

Genis' mind began to clear, with all traces of Mithos' memories and influence fading away. The crystal began to dim again, and Genis felt himself falling backwards with his eyes closed. As he felt himself landing in a pair of warm, strong arms, he could have sworn he heard Mithos' voice murmur, "You were my last friend, Genis. My last true friend…"

"Genis? Are you okay?" Even before he opened his eyes, he could hear the voice of the young man he had grown up with, smell the scent of fresh trees and flowers rimmed with dew the man had always carried with him.

"Lloyd…I'm fine…just a little dizzy, that's all." Genis was having trouble focusing his eyes on Lloyd's concerned face, which was hovering over his. At some point when Mithos left his body, Lloyd had rushed over to his body to catch him, and he was kneeling down as he cradled Genis' body up in his arms.

"So…" Lloyd started but trailed off, eyes shining with hesitance.

"What's wrong?"

"Well…it's just that…Mithos was saying to you that I couldn't be trusted and, um…do you trust me, Genis?"

"I…yeah, I do, but Mithos…I trust him too."

"…I understand. I won't force you to stay if you want to be with him instead…" Lloyd looked away from him with a sad look.

"No…I can't side with him. He may be my friend, and I might agree with him on some ideas, but…I can't follow his Age of Lifeless Beings. You…you're going to do the same thing without sacrificing anyone's life, right?"

Lloyd turned back to him, his grin returning on his face. "Of course! You, me everyone, including D…ad…we'll help this world, together! And then…"

"We'll find all of the exspheres together, right?"

"Yeah! We'll be together forever!"

"Forever…" The big smile on Lloyd's face appeared on Genis' face as well. They would be together, be friends forever, his sister couldn't say anything about-

Wait…his sister!

"Lloyd, where's Raine? Actually…where _is_ everyone?"

"We got caught up in a trap and were all separated. I don't know exactly where they are, but they're somewhere in Welgaia. At least, that's what Origin said."

"Alright then, let's-whoa!" Genis had jumped to his feet and, still shaky from Mithos' soul parting from his body, stumbled and fell and once again was caught by Lloyd.

"You need to stop doing that," Lloyd laughed in a teasing voice.

"Yeah, well, at least I don't have the IQ of a flower," Genis retorted.

"…what's an IQ?"

Now Genis laughed at Lloyd's confused face. "Come on, let's go."

They stepped through the teleporter, and together they searched the cold, lonely city, completely abandoned by its inhabitants. Genis, however, barely noticed the dull and dark surroundings around him; all he could see was the path paved in brilliant light in front of him, leading him behind Lloyd. It had always been there, right in front of him, but he had strayed off and came too close to Mithos, enough to have Mithos wrap him around his finger, to fool him, to lure him with false smiles and friendship. But somewhere among the confusion, Lloyd continued to shine, to speak and act with such altruistic confidence that Mithos couldn't compete with. Lloyd had been there for him when he needed it, and would continue to be there for as long as he was alive. Lloyd had wiped away all of his troubles and fears by being in his life, by being his friend and treating him like he mattered, despite his race, despite his age, despite _everything_.

So when he suddenly broke into tears as they walked into another district of the city, he couldn't answer Lloyd when he had pulled him into a warm embrace and told him not to worry about Mithos in a soothing manner. Genis knew Lloyd would never understand what he had done for him; his friendship meant so much to him just by being true and honest unlike Mithos', and it was a kind of feeling he couldn't put into words. To Lloyd, he was just doing what he would for any other friend of his. Lloyd could never get that he was crying out of happiness, that there was nothing wrong at all, and it would stay that way. Genis simply nodded, buried his face into Lloyd's clothes, and let all the problems Lloyd had solved fall one teardrop at a time.

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Please review!


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